The Union Pacific Soggy Bottoms Subdivision (HO scale)
- Thread starter flyboy2610
- Start date
flyboy2610
Loveably weird
Yes, I had to cut out slots for the bridges to fit into. The supports are actually made of 1" thick pine. The base are made of the same. I cut away the foam form each embankment to inlay the bridge supports, then used Woodland Scenics plaster cloth to cover the embankments. I'm trying to find time to finish it!
southsideandy
Member
I vote that you build the packing plant (though I think your question was rhetorical, LOL)...only because I have mine sitting in a box waiting for my layout and think it would be nice to see what yours ends up looking like. 
flyboy2610
Loveably weird
Nice build. There is a lot of work in that. I'm looking forward to seeing it grow.
Thank you! I appreciate that. Progress isn't as rapid as I would sometimes like, but I remind myself that this is, first and foremost, a hobby not a race. It'll get done someday.......... maybe. And if it ever does get to the point where it's "done", I'll tear it down and do a different layout!
flyboy2610
Loveably weird
I have decided to build the packing plant before laying down the yard tracks. The build will be chronicled in the Structures and Buildings forum. Here is a direct link to it:
http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/...rs-Champion-Packing-Plant&p=442521#post442521
I appreciate all tips and techniques! (Particularly tips of $20 and above.)
http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/...rs-Champion-Packing-Plant&p=442521#post442521
I appreciate all tips and techniques! (Particularly tips of $20 and above.)
flyboy2610
Loveably weird
I got a little bit done on the river scene today. The sandbar is made of two layers of cork tiles. There has always been a ridge between them. You can see it in this pic:
So i took my trusty moto tool ( boy, am I glad I bought that thing!) and a sanding drum and smoothed out that ridge. It looks much better now, and with a coat of paint on it, you can hardly tell it was ever there!
I still have to paint the river bottom and get some large rocks for the other side of the river.
So i took my trusty moto tool ( boy, am I glad I bought that thing!) and a sanding drum and smoothed out that ridge. It looks much better now, and with a coat of paint on it, you can hardly tell it was ever there!
I still have to paint the river bottom and get some large rocks for the other side of the river.
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flyboy2610
Loveably weird
In addition to working on the Walthers packing plant, I have also been doing some work on the river scene/liftout. I priced ModPodge, but that stuff is rather pricey! So........ I made my own!
I found several recipes online, but the one that seemed to work best is 3 parts Elmer's Glue All (or other white PVA glue) and 1 part water. Do NOT use Elmer's School Glue! It is not the same and won't work well! For a shiny finish, add about 3-4 teaspoons of water based acrylic finish. I used some Minwax Polycrylic I have.
I used 1 7.625 oz. bottle of Elmer's Glue All
As I said, do NOT use Elmer's School Glue! You know, the stuff that weird kid in 3rd. grade use to drink from the bottle?
I emptied the contents of the glue bottle into a Mason jar, then rinsed out the bottle really well. I measured up 1/3rd of the distance from the bottom, and marked a line. I filled the bottle with water up to that line, then dumped the water into the jar.
I next added 4 tsp. of gloss Polycrylic Minwax water based finish to give it some shine.
I put the lid on the jar (this step is VERY important!) then shook the living daylights out of it for about two minutes.
For a test, I painted a piece of 1x4 with some craft paint to simulate a stream bed. I let that dry then went over it with the homemade ModPodge. I tried to speed up the drying by using a heat gun on low, and messed up the upper right hand corner, so ignore that area.
It didn't turn out too bad.
I found several recipes online, but the one that seemed to work best is 3 parts Elmer's Glue All (or other white PVA glue) and 1 part water. Do NOT use Elmer's School Glue! It is not the same and won't work well! For a shiny finish, add about 3-4 teaspoons of water based acrylic finish. I used some Minwax Polycrylic I have.
I used 1 7.625 oz. bottle of Elmer's Glue All
As I said, do NOT use Elmer's School Glue! You know, the stuff that weird kid in 3rd. grade use to drink from the bottle?
I emptied the contents of the glue bottle into a Mason jar, then rinsed out the bottle really well. I measured up 1/3rd of the distance from the bottom, and marked a line. I filled the bottle with water up to that line, then dumped the water into the jar.
I next added 4 tsp. of gloss Polycrylic Minwax water based finish to give it some shine.
I put the lid on the jar (this step is VERY important!) then shook the living daylights out of it for about two minutes.
For a test, I painted a piece of 1x4 with some craft paint to simulate a stream bed. I let that dry then went over it with the homemade ModPodge. I tried to speed up the drying by using a heat gun on low, and messed up the upper right hand corner, so ignore that area.
It didn't turn out too bad.
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flyboy2610
Loveably weird
The town of Soggy Bottoms is loosely based on the town of Big Springs, Nebraska. The South Platte river flows past the town, and it has a decidedly greenish tint to it.
I used some black and green craft paint and painted the bottom of the river bed and up about as high as I think the water level will go. I stippled the wet colors together, then blotted them with a paper towel to really blend them. I think it came out too dark. I think it needs more green.
There will be some touch-up painting required after the water is poured.
Before the water is poured, though, I want to add some dirt to the cliff faces. To do this I will stand the liftout vertically, coat the cliff with diluted white glue and sprinkle on the dirt. I also have some HO large talus to add around the base of the cliffs. I need to get the dirt, though.
I haven't quite decided what to use for water. I know Envirotex works well, dries glossy, and is a hard epoxy. Magic Water retains a slight amount of flexibility which could be good for use on a liftout section. I can't find anywhere in town that sells it, though. I can get Realistic Water from Hobby Lobby at a good price. I don't know what its characteristics are, however.
I am thinking of adding a green color to the water to help achieve that nice even color of the South Platte river. I know Envirotex is tintable. What about the other two products?
I used some black and green craft paint and painted the bottom of the river bed and up about as high as I think the water level will go. I stippled the wet colors together, then blotted them with a paper towel to really blend them. I think it came out too dark. I think it needs more green.
There will be some touch-up painting required after the water is poured.
Before the water is poured, though, I want to add some dirt to the cliff faces. To do this I will stand the liftout vertically, coat the cliff with diluted white glue and sprinkle on the dirt. I also have some HO large talus to add around the base of the cliffs. I need to get the dirt, though.
I haven't quite decided what to use for water. I know Envirotex works well, dries glossy, and is a hard epoxy. Magic Water retains a slight amount of flexibility which could be good for use on a liftout section. I can't find anywhere in town that sells it, though. I can get Realistic Water from Hobby Lobby at a good price. I don't know what its characteristics are, however.
I am thinking of adding a green color to the water to help achieve that nice even color of the South Platte river. I know Envirotex is tintable. What about the other two products?
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flyboy2610
Loveably weird
Well, I just did some research and it turns out Realistic Water doesn't like acrylic craft paints very well, so that's out. Those are what i used to paint the bottom.
KB02
Well-Known Member
I used the Envirotech two part epoxy and was very happy with it. And I had used the same technique you did with the craft acrylics. It even layers really well if you need a deep spot. I actually painted some fish on the first layer of epoxy and then put another layer on top so the fish are not only under water, but you can see their shadows underneath them. Came out pretty cool.
On another note, add just a little white and a touch of brown to your green/black mix. That should lighten it up just enough.
On another note, add just a little white and a touch of brown to your green/black mix. That should lighten it up just enough.
flyboy2610
Loveably weird
I will be using the Envirotex. I plan to tint it green during the mixing phase. The pic of the river I posted shows it has ripples. I will add these after the Envirotex has dried using my homemade ModPodge. There is an online color mixer http://trycolors.com/ I will play around with to try to come up with that shade of green. I'll probably have to darken it up some as the Envirotex will dilute it and lighten the color. I probably won't get it spot on, but that's part of learning!
It will probably be next weekend before I can get back to working on this.
It will probably be next weekend before I can get back to working on this.
flyboy2610
Loveably weird
I wasn't real thrilled with the look of the sandbar, seeing as how it's simply painted cork tiles, so I decided to do something about it. At the train show recently I picked up some sand from SceneArama, so today I put it down on the sandbar. I first used a 50/50 mix of white glue and water with couple of drops of dish soap in it. I applied this to the sandbar with a Woodland Scenics pump sprayer. Caution: Do NOT try to use one of these in places where you want a fine mist! This thing will leave drops and globs all over everywhere!
I spread out the mixture with a small paintbrush for an even coat over the sandbar, then sprinkled down the sand to a thin but fairly even coat. I let this dry 24 hours. Next, I used a 50/50 mix of 91% isopropyl alcohol (because that's what I have on hand) and water to wet down the sand, which did not thoroughly adhere everywhere. I applied this with a Suave hairspray pump bottle. (Yes, I use hairspray. Deal with it and get on with your life.) This was followed immediately by a 50/50 mix of Liquitex matte medium and water applied with an eyedropper. I have one that has an angled tip. This is really handy for precise application as I can get the drop precisely where I want it. I don't remember where I got it. I saturated the sandbar, and now come the hard part: waiting 24 hours for it to dry!
I'm almost afraid I may have gotten to much glue in a few areas. Nothing ran off or shifted, so hopefully everything is OK. This is the first time I've done this, so I hope it turns out OK!
The sandbar after gluing down the sand with matte medium. The area up towards the top is what I'm wondering about. The bottom edge will get some more sand, and I will use some to hide that gap in front of the bridge abutment. I may wait to do the bottom edge until the fascia is installed though. I discovered I can also get this sand from my local Hobby Lobby!
A closeup of the drying sand.
I seem to have gotten a bit of sand in the riverbed. I'll clean that out. The little gap in front of the cliffs doesn't worry me much. The cliffs will get a layer of soil on them, and there will be coarse buff colored talus at the base of the cliffs. There will also be soil on the opposing cliff, and talus at the base. The cut leading down to the sand bar will have a gravel bottom. I picked up some medium HO wooden cribbing vinyl sheet material from my local train store. This will be applied to the cut walls as a retaining wall. I also bought some very coarse gray colored talus. This will be used on top of the cliff at the edge as a barrier to keep people from falling over.
Juts have to let the sand dry, and tomorrow I can do one side of the cliffs.
I spread out the mixture with a small paintbrush for an even coat over the sandbar, then sprinkled down the sand to a thin but fairly even coat. I let this dry 24 hours. Next, I used a 50/50 mix of 91% isopropyl alcohol (because that's what I have on hand) and water to wet down the sand, which did not thoroughly adhere everywhere. I applied this with a Suave hairspray pump bottle. (Yes, I use hairspray. Deal with it and get on with your life.) This was followed immediately by a 50/50 mix of Liquitex matte medium and water applied with an eyedropper. I have one that has an angled tip. This is really handy for precise application as I can get the drop precisely where I want it. I don't remember where I got it. I saturated the sandbar, and now come the hard part: waiting 24 hours for it to dry!
I'm almost afraid I may have gotten to much glue in a few areas. Nothing ran off or shifted, so hopefully everything is OK. This is the first time I've done this, so I hope it turns out OK!
The sandbar after gluing down the sand with matte medium. The area up towards the top is what I'm wondering about. The bottom edge will get some more sand, and I will use some to hide that gap in front of the bridge abutment. I may wait to do the bottom edge until the fascia is installed though. I discovered I can also get this sand from my local Hobby Lobby!
A closeup of the drying sand.
I seem to have gotten a bit of sand in the riverbed. I'll clean that out. The little gap in front of the cliffs doesn't worry me much. The cliffs will get a layer of soil on them, and there will be coarse buff colored talus at the base of the cliffs. There will also be soil on the opposing cliff, and talus at the base. The cut leading down to the sand bar will have a gravel bottom. I picked up some medium HO wooden cribbing vinyl sheet material from my local train store. This will be applied to the cut walls as a retaining wall. I also bought some very coarse gray colored talus. This will be used on top of the cliff at the edge as a barrier to keep people from falling over.
Juts have to let the sand dry, and tomorrow I can do one side of the cliffs.
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Greg@mnrr
Section Hand
Don't forgot to add some "junk" like old barrels, railroad ties, broken couplers and other debris to the bottom of the water feature. Also, add foam ground foam for weeds on the bottom and along the edge of the water. Secure everything with diluted white glue and allow several days for drying time.
Enjoy your project.
Greg
Enjoy your project.
Greg
flyboy2610
Loveably weird
Today's project began by going to Harbor Freight and purchasing a 12" compass saw:
http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-compass-saw-66591.html
I needed this to cut horizontally across the cutout leading from the parking area down to the sandbar on my river area. Yes, today's project was widening the cutout. Once the cutout was widened, I gave it a coat of plaster cloth. Some white made it onto the sandbar, but a little sand, some wet water, and some dilute matte medium fixed that.
I made it wider because last week I purchased some HO scale vinyl cribbing material to make retaining walls for the cutout. I discovered that with the walls in place, the cutout would be too narrow for a pickup to get into it. So the cutout was widened by one truck width.
Tomorrow, after everything has thoroughly dried, I will give the walls and top a coat of appropriately colored latex paint. The bottom of the cutout and the parking area above will be covered in some fine natural talus to simulate crushed rock.
The top of the cliffs will be lined with extra coarse natural talus to represent boulders placed to keep vehicles (and people) from going over the edge of the cliffs.
The connecting road from the parking area to the cutout will also be in fine natural talus, but that will not be installed until the scenic work on that part of the layout is done, since some of it will be on the permanent part of the layout.
I found an HO scale boat and trailer on MB Klein's website. I will be ordering that to use on this scene. I also found a WWII midget German sub, complete with torpedoes. That could be an interesting addition under the railroad bridge.
[video=youtube;5Qf6Sv3A9zs]
http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-compass-saw-66591.html
I needed this to cut horizontally across the cutout leading from the parking area down to the sandbar on my river area. Yes, today's project was widening the cutout. Once the cutout was widened, I gave it a coat of plaster cloth. Some white made it onto the sandbar, but a little sand, some wet water, and some dilute matte medium fixed that.
I made it wider because last week I purchased some HO scale vinyl cribbing material to make retaining walls for the cutout. I discovered that with the walls in place, the cutout would be too narrow for a pickup to get into it. So the cutout was widened by one truck width.
Tomorrow, after everything has thoroughly dried, I will give the walls and top a coat of appropriately colored latex paint. The bottom of the cutout and the parking area above will be covered in some fine natural talus to simulate crushed rock.
The top of the cliffs will be lined with extra coarse natural talus to represent boulders placed to keep vehicles (and people) from going over the edge of the cliffs.
The connecting road from the parking area to the cutout will also be in fine natural talus, but that will not be installed until the scenic work on that part of the layout is done, since some of it will be on the permanent part of the layout.
I found an HO scale boat and trailer on MB Klein's website. I will be ordering that to use on this scene. I also found a WWII midget German sub, complete with torpedoes. That could be an interesting addition under the railroad bridge.
[video=youtube;5Qf6Sv3A9zs]
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flyboy2610
Loveably weird
Ever have a Homer moment?
I was checking clearance under the railroad bridge for that German midget submarine mentioned in my previous post (there will be a number of such 'non-comformities' on my layout) and something didn't look right.
This when Dr. Dimbulb suddenly realized that yes, he had glued the bridge supports on the wrong ends of the river.
So Dr. Dimbulb pried them loose and scraped all the dried glued off of them and the plywood where they had been so happily sitting for months.
This how they were supposed to be oriented:
That middle pier is going to need some work, specifically the near end is going to have to be cut so it doesn't over hang the end. It's not quite in the right spot in that pic.
I wonder what else I've messed up?
I was checking clearance under the railroad bridge for that German midget submarine mentioned in my previous post (there will be a number of such 'non-comformities' on my layout) and something didn't look right.
This when Dr. Dimbulb suddenly realized that yes, he had glued the bridge supports on the wrong ends of the river.
So Dr. Dimbulb pried them loose and scraped all the dried glued off of them and the plywood where they had been so happily sitting for months.
This how they were supposed to be oriented:
That middle pier is going to need some work, specifically the near end is going to have to be cut so it doesn't over hang the end. It's not quite in the right spot in that pic.
I wonder what else I've messed up?
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Red Oak & Western
Active Member
I wonder what else I've messed up?
You haven't messed anything up. You've just added some "unique features"!
flyboy2610
Loveably weird
After fixing the bridge pier fiasco, I decided it was time to start the landscaping. Now mind you, I've never done this before, so I was rather nervous I would screw it up.
The first thing i did was apply the wooden cribbing vinyl sheet to the sides of the cut. This is a Chooch Enterprises product, Medium Cribbing #8502. I still need to touch up the end with some brown paint. It is a self stick product, but I had concerns as to how well it would remain attached over time, so I used some DAP Alex Plus caulk to attach it. The caulk also sealed the gap at the top of the cribbing and cut wall. It worked quite well.
I then determined where to place the hedgerow, planted by the railroad to keep young (and old!) kids away from the track. The hedgerow is a JTT Scenery Products item, #95615 Hedgerows, 4/pk. I got it from Hobby Lobby. I think it looks really good right there.
I bought some Woodland Scenics ground foam soil, earth blend, and green blend. The bluffs and horizontal surfaces were given a coat of 50/50 white glue and water, followed by a coating of soil. The earth blend was the applied, leaving some areas of soil showing through. Once that had dried, the green blend was applied, more sparingly than the earth blend. I didn't apply any green blend to the bluffs.
I then used a 50/50 mix of matte medium and water, applied with an eye dropper, to seal it all in. The earth and green blends were not applied to the bottom of the cut. That was just covered with soil. The same is true for the parking area.
The buff colored talus was then applied to the base of the bluffs, to prevent erosion. I glued it in place with full strength Elmer's Glue All, not school glue, then gave it a going over with the matte medium. I glued the bottom layer down, let it dry, and then did the top layer.
Next I added the Woodland Scenics natural fine talus to the bottom of the cut and the parking area. This looks more like crushed rock than gravel, but I like the look of it. This was glued down with matte medium. The final step was to install the Woodland Scenics extra coarse natural talus around the perimeter of the parking area and the top of the cut to represent boulders. These are placed there as a safety barrier to prevent people and vehicles from falling off the top of the cut.
Once all this was done, I added some figures, placed the bridge in position, and put a loco and car on the bridge to see how it looked. Nothing is glued in place yet, though.
I need to do the other side yet. I won't pour the river until all the landscaping is done.
I don't think it came out too bad, for a first time.
Some of the ground cover got knocked off the bluff. I haven't decided what to do about it yet.
"Honest, it was this big!"
The first thing i did was apply the wooden cribbing vinyl sheet to the sides of the cut. This is a Chooch Enterprises product, Medium Cribbing #8502. I still need to touch up the end with some brown paint. It is a self stick product, but I had concerns as to how well it would remain attached over time, so I used some DAP Alex Plus caulk to attach it. The caulk also sealed the gap at the top of the cribbing and cut wall. It worked quite well.
I then determined where to place the hedgerow, planted by the railroad to keep young (and old!) kids away from the track. The hedgerow is a JTT Scenery Products item, #95615 Hedgerows, 4/pk. I got it from Hobby Lobby. I think it looks really good right there.
I bought some Woodland Scenics ground foam soil, earth blend, and green blend. The bluffs and horizontal surfaces were given a coat of 50/50 white glue and water, followed by a coating of soil. The earth blend was the applied, leaving some areas of soil showing through. Once that had dried, the green blend was applied, more sparingly than the earth blend. I didn't apply any green blend to the bluffs.
I then used a 50/50 mix of matte medium and water, applied with an eye dropper, to seal it all in. The earth and green blends were not applied to the bottom of the cut. That was just covered with soil. The same is true for the parking area.
The buff colored talus was then applied to the base of the bluffs, to prevent erosion. I glued it in place with full strength Elmer's Glue All, not school glue, then gave it a going over with the matte medium. I glued the bottom layer down, let it dry, and then did the top layer.
Next I added the Woodland Scenics natural fine talus to the bottom of the cut and the parking area. This looks more like crushed rock than gravel, but I like the look of it. This was glued down with matte medium. The final step was to install the Woodland Scenics extra coarse natural talus around the perimeter of the parking area and the top of the cut to represent boulders. These are placed there as a safety barrier to prevent people and vehicles from falling off the top of the cut.
Once all this was done, I added some figures, placed the bridge in position, and put a loco and car on the bridge to see how it looked. Nothing is glued in place yet, though.
I need to do the other side yet. I won't pour the river until all the landscaping is done.
I don't think it came out too bad, for a first time.
Some of the ground cover got knocked off the bluff. I haven't decided what to do about it yet.
"Honest, it was this big!"
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